Fernando Alonso returns to the pits in his Renault R25 as Formula 1 testing is cut short by snow at Silverstone 22 Feb 2005. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Use of tire chains would add a spectacular "old school" dimension to pit stops and tire strategies. Somebody call Chase Carey.
Tire news for the opening races - 2018. Via SKY F1 Gossip 16:59 It's that time already:The tyre selections for 2018's opening races in Australia, Bahrain and China have been revealed. Australia: Soft, Supersoft, Ultrasoft Bahrain: Medium, Soft, Supersoft China: Medium, Soft, Ultrasoft A reminder of the rules from Pirelli: 'Each driver must save one set of the softest of the three nominated compounds for Q3. This set will then be returned for those who qualify in the top 10, but the remaining drivers will keep it for the race. 'Each driver must have both these sets available for the race. 'Teams are free to choose the remaining 10 sets, making 13 sets in total for the weekend.'
So now this is the good idea? LOL Maurizio Arrivabene says Ferrari must learn to emulate Mercedes' winning mindset http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/21754706/maurizio-arrivabene-says-ferrari-learn-emulate-mercedes-winning-mindset
He's right about this. Interview below with James Allison is a good look into Mercedes F1 culture. Arrivebene gets it and has been trying to move to a flatter structure. But Ferrari has always seemed a hierarchical organization to me, and maybe more so than ever under Marchionne. https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/interview-mercedes-invigorated-allison-943680/
I agree with Arriva and as you point out the culture at the top is most likely something he will have to over-come.
Does anyone care about all these extra rules? F1 needs to adapt KISS...Keep It Simple, Stupid I've been watching F1 all my life, still the since the Hybrid also. I still haven't a clue what the MGU H or K is, I've lost interest in the ever changing rules...
I honestly don't mean this to be disrespectful, Bas...but you really seem to hate everything about F1 and perhaps it's time to move on. The exact details of the hybrid systems are incredibly complex, but the concept of what each component does is really quite simple. A quick Google search and a few short articles will tell you exactly what each component does. A fan does not need to know exactly how it works...one must simply understand what it does. I imagine there are plenty of keyboard warriors who have no idea how a computer actually works, but that certainly doesn't diminish their appreciation of what it allows them to do... I'm frustrated at the level of frustration from "fans." (Not pointing the finger at Bas, but...) so much of the angst and anger about the rules, etc. is based on utter ignorance. We have one thread complaining about the tire rules and it's clear that many (most?) of the posters haven't read any articles, press briefings, or even the rules themselves. Instead, it becomes a tizzy where one ignorant comment becomes reality and fosters more ignorant comments. To paraphrase the late FastIan...it's F1, it's supposed to be hard. That means some teams will struggle while others find creative solutions. I do not recall a single season where front-to-back every team had an equal chance of winning. There have always been the Top Dogs and there have always been Minnows.
I love the sport and hate seeing it being destroyed piece by piece. There's no reason for it to not be fixed. We shouldn't need a complicated handbook to follow the sport. Keeping it simple is far better. New viewers are put off by it's complexity, the same for current fans. F1 is supposed to be hard but it needn't be overly complex to follow.
From my personal point of view, as a late forty something who's been following since Alan Jones won the championship in 1980, at this stage of my life - wife, demanding job etc - I don't have much inclination to spend time to differentiate between MGU H etc penalties or the new Pirelli rules for qualifying. They're going to change. I watch F1 because it is the pinnacle of the sport and I understand that it is supposed to be hard. But any free time I do get for the sport, I'd rather catch up on the history, remember the circuit layouts, or even plan a trip to one. I think Fast Ian made a lot of us more appreciative of the days gone by as well. For people like me all these grid penalties was a total farce - and perhaps I'm too old and stubborn to dig deep to understand something whose principal reason I don't agree with. The only reason I'm still watching is that there's still good racing - and tyre allocation and engine penalties are not really part of that unless we want to be totally anal about it. And here in the UK, Sundays which are supposed to be your free day going round friends, you have to ask your wife if whoever we're seeing has Sky TV so I can watch the race lol. I'm not sure where the new fans will be coming from; people my age who have the money to go to circuits and buy merchandise etc are not really interested in taking the time to go through complex rules which will change the season after, and the young fans probably aren't enticed when they see a typical (absolutely boring) end of the season Abu Dhabi GP, and I can't blame them. Rant over lol. Best, Sammy
I really think that you are both overstating the complexity of the rules. Yeah, grid penalties are hard to follow/swallow, but tire allocations and power units are really rather straightforward. One cannot blame complexity when one has not even made an effort. In less time than it takes to respond to an Fchat thread, one can read an article that explains what an MGU-H is or anything else that is seemingly complex at first. Again, you don't need to be able to design one, repair one, or even identify one on sight to understand its role in F1. Rules change and evolve in every sport. It's the attitude of "I know nothing about it, but nonetheless I'm going to complain about it" that makes no sense.
Flavio Briatore(a man I do not admire) summed it up well and said essentially that F1 should be a spectacle, a battle between gladiators. The cars in this formula are boring to watch; the powertrains are so complex and expensive that they are bankrupting teams(see Williams); tire management and fuel conservation strategies are not palpable to the fans; there is very little passing, usually at the start, via DRS(artificial) or by pit stop strategy; ONE TEAM has won 78.5% of the races in this formula. Fans don't attend motor races or watch on TV to witness a Science Fair. They don't understand the technology, the absurd penalties and the subtleties of strategy--and they don't care. I love no holds barred motor racing and wheel to wheel combat between drivers. That used to be F1.
So is this because the drivers are not capable anymore or because of the rules preventing them to do so? If you think as well that it is the later you might agree that these rules are just plain wrong...
Fans seek information and read the F1 press. Team bosses are stating things are overly complicated. Fan perception is reality. Thats the not so hard part....
F.1 is a bit like a bad mistress...kinda hot but...or like being married to a supermodel that only likes sex once a year....thats a bit how it feels to me. I mean, i love the damn tyhing but most of the times i get angry at it! the penalties a re a bad idea, DRs is a stupid idea, this engines are an incredibly stupid idea, the rules don't alow the driver sto fight, and most of the drivers aren't good enough. Fact is once you have seen the ebst, it's hard to get the same feeling, so after Villeneuve eas gone, it weas obvious that f.1 would never be the same again...but we had the Mansells, teh Senna's, the Alesi's, Shumachers, etc...right now, there isn't one single driver i find "amazing" and i think that's my biggest +problem..i hope Charles can bring something new.
Team bosses are saying the penalty system is overly complicated and that engines are expensive. I am not aware of any team boss or engineer that has complained about the power units being too complicated...they'd be laughed out of the paddock. Horner doesn't count...he complains about everything when RBR isn't winning.
They all influence the fans. Most fans are not engineers. Most fans know what they read and have been reading exactly what most of us complain here about. Sound, penalties, motors rules etc. There are no real exceptions.
Exactly. If they want a science fair, use Formula E for that. F1 still has to be the fastest sport on the planet, so we can't do away with aero completely but I don't think that's necessary for competitive, spectacular, racing. It has to be fast, the driver needs great input and not computers, there needs to be a pleasing sound track. It's not hard to make this. Exactly.The FIA's failure to react properly and within time is wholly to blame for this. Their priorities are elsewhere and the rest they plainly do not care about. +1 I've always been very interested in F1 and the technical aspect, hence me mentioning it. I and many others have very little interest in the current over-complicated hybrid parts however, on the flipside I quite liked (or didn't mind at least) the 2009+ KERS units. Very simple to understand that's it.
